If you are a GP or work at a GP…

So hopefully the best of both worlds. I know the partners at my practice are hoping to expand convenience (which works for both sides) but without people thinking they must use the form so at the moment its still in pilot.

Those who do not have access to the online system can still call for an appointment, and actually get their call answered promptly because the volume of calls is vastly less.

I think it depends if you fall into a clear cut category then the pathways and help are great but if you have a chronic condition that not much can be done for or if you just have something niggily which might be something or might not be then it get much harder as they just don't know what to do with you a lot of the time.

mine sound on a par to yours.
Generally phone appointments are more convenient for me and them, but if during a phone appointment they realise they need to see me they'll generally say to call in, how soon can I get there.
One call just over a year ago - I was unwell and grumpy, and they couldn't clearly see a rash on a photo taken with difficulty on the back of my neck. I just said "I'll be there in fifteen minutes" & put the phone down while she was faffing about taking another photo.- but generally they're fine.

What are the options for people who don't have ready access to online services or struggle with forms/English or are simply not that articulate? Can they still simply call for an appointment?

I don't agree with receptionists being expected to triage - they are not paid enough quite apart from not being qualified.

What I have seen work well is the system our practice implemented many years ago which is to have receptionists taking the calls but anyone wanting a new appointment (as opposed to a clinic appointment, forms or "knowns") went onto the triage list. The triage list was run by one of the practice doctors, occasionally a practice nurse. This was because the partners did not expect receptionists to be triage admins and in practice turned out to be a better use of everyone's time as triage accuracy was extremely good.

They have more recently made a form available through one of the providers but its for patients to use if they prefer rather than first port of call.

My surgery had been transformed by its new system (about 18 months now).
You fill in a triage form after 8am, a GP reads and prioritises all the forms, and you get a text within a couple of hours, giving you a same day time range for an incoming telephone appointment, or a time for a face to face one on the same day, or the next morning.

None of my ailments have been particularly serious, yet I've still had a consult on the same day.

It also means that people have stopped whining on our local Facebook page about 'receptionists deciding' whether we're ill enough for an appointment!

I'd agree it is partially the surgery, but also it is the software and how it is set up.

Because I wonder what proportion of patients get told by the software after 10 minutes of answering questions to phone the surgery and don't. I suspect a significant number, if not a majority.

I'd say the software should then ask how far away from the surgery you are, then either alert the surgery to phone you, or give you an appropriate day appointment.

I think if someone has gone to use econsult for an appointment, which the system agrees they need, they should have one without having to use a different method -there may have been a very good reason they hadn't phoned in the first place.

My surgery is great, experts in loads of things, triage on reception usually a same day appointment never anyone in the waiting room so you don't catch a cold whilst you get your bloods done. Same day test results uploaded to NHS app, same day call if anything abnormal, text messages monthly to keep in touch (I'm on WLI). Facebook page and monthly newsletter updated frequently. Can't complain. Local hospital though has very poor communication.

They have changed to e-consult, which I thought would be a good thing but it's a tick box form and not at all flexible.

Oh yes e-consult. What a wonderful idea.

I was having pain in the chest. I was pretty certain what it was, but thought it ought to be checked out. So I thought I'd go through e-consult, which said if I needed an appointment, they'd give me one.
As soon as I put "chest pain" on the tick box it said "make an appointment urgently with your GP".
Guess what happened when I phoned the GP? Apparently I didn't qualify for an appointment (even phone one), and should use e-consult. They kindly told me this by text so I couldn't respond.
Result it, I haven't been seen. Great result isn't it?

I’ve worked in primary care for 25 years now. It’s generally shit as its overworked and underfunded.

I believe GP services carry out 95% of all NHS contacts with approx 9% of the NHS budget.

Short staffed, increasing expectations from patients, the government and secondary care. Too much work being pushed onto us from hospitals - they’re busy but we have to look after the patients waiting months and years to be seen by them, as well as doing a lot of their work for them.

We’re not an emergency service, we’re not a drop in centre, we have limited capacity for appointments but unlimited demand.

Management makes a difference, a good manager who proactively manages demand and capacity can make all the difference.

I work in a really good practice but am a patient at a less good one, probably because in my home town house building has increased the population by thousands with no extra capacity in health care.

As a HCP I’m tired, disillusioned, broke and starting to get compassion fatigue 🙁

My GP surgery has changed from an arrangement where you had to phone at 8am for an appointment that day . Sometimes when you got through all the appointments had gone and you couldn't ask for the following day or make an appointment-you had to try again the following morning..
They have changed to e-consult, which I thought would be a good thing but it's a tick box form and not at all flexible. There is a rude receptionist and if you phone she just barks "E-consult!" At least you could speak to someone before. I had side effects from a medication and it just didn't fit the box.
The effect of this is that people with uncomfortable or immediately concerning issues are going straight to A&E.
I do understand that they're under pressure but the receptionist really is very difficult. I witnessed her being very uncaring towards a young woman who walked in clearly very ill.

Our out of hours works far better than the GP.

The out of hours isn't at all to do with our surgery.

Those statements may be connected.

Mine are good too. Phoned up for a non urgent appointment, told the GP would phone me back that morning. And they did. Job done!

the surgery i work in its patient choice if face to face or telephone

Would be totally normal for me at my doctors. Any serious issue like a lump, suspected infection they see you the same day and refer. Breast clinic sees everyone within 2 weeks.

@Merryoldgoat sounds like my GP, are you London/SE

TBF DH had pneumonia and had to ring 111 for treatment in boxing day morning and by 8-30am (within half an hour) he'd got through, been triaged, spoken toDr and had script sent to pharmacy for me to collect when it opened

When it works it really works

That doesn't happen at our surgery.
I don't work there, so I don't know why, or how it works, but it does.
Potentially it might be because there is open surgery every day?
Perhaps it is because the GPs are there to see the people who turn up at open surgery. They don't complete a list of appointments, then, as they are finishing have to start seeing extra patients - that's not how it works. I don't know if people are turned away once it gets to a certain number. I've never seen that happen, but obviously I'm not sitting there day after day observing.

Isn't that sort of 'wait your turn' service now mainly provided by drop-in centres and/or Urgent TReatment Centres ?

I think the availability of drop in centres and Urgent Treatment centres varies across the country. I often see things mentioned on here that don't exist (as far as I know) where I live.

No it’s not standard . I waited 3 weeks for a female GP to check a breat lump . Once the referral was done on the 2 week pathway I got an appointment quickly . Unfortunately after having X-rays and biopsy I wasn’t contacted over the Christmas period as promised and had to chase up results 3 weeks later . Even then my GP had to chase results up months later to get the results written down.

We used to run it. At the end of my morning surgery of 15 patients, there would be maybe 25 people in the waiting room for the 3 doctors to see as extras. What quality of care do you think they got? how focused was the doctor?

My very local GP was awful, so I moved me and the dc to one a little further away and it's brilliant. Filled in an online form yesterday 11am. Got a call back within a few hours, and was asked to go in and collect a prescription for short term relief, a sample pot and to book blood test. Bloods now booked for next Weds, will take sample in on Friday and follow up next week. I would say that this could be due to symptoms of bowel cancer necessitating urgency, but my experience has always been the same since moving GPs whether it's for the dc's ear infections or my own minor ailments like chest infections or muscular skeletal issues.